About this game
Pokémon Trading Card Game (1998) for Game Boy Color is a digital adaptation of the Pokémon TCG developed by Hudson Soft and Creatures, containing cards from the Base Set, Jungle, and Fossil sets alongside approximately 20 GBC-exclusive cards never printed in the physical game. Players follow protagonist Mark through a campaign of eight Club Masters and four Grand Masters to earn the Legendary Cards. Sold 3.7 million copies worldwide, it remains a beloved spin-off that delivered the full TCG experience on a handheld screen.
Key Features
The game faithfully adapts the Pokémon TCG rules for a single-player campaign, allowing players to build and refine decks from collected cards between matches. Three starter decks are available at the outset (Charmander & Friends, Squirtle & Friends, Bulbasaur & Friends), with further cards won through duels. Club Masters operate themed elemental clubs — defeating each unlocks new opponents and rare cards. The game includes 228 cards total; approximately 20 are exclusive to the GBC version and were never produced as physical cards.
The Story Behind
Pokémon Trading Card Game arrived in Japan in December 1998, at the peak of the global Pokémon phenomenon, and sold over 607,000 copies in Japan alone by the end of 1999. The development was outsourced to Hudson Soft — not Game Freak, the studio behind the mainline RPGs — making it one of the earliest examples of Nintendo licensing Pokémon to a third-party developer for a spin-off. Its North American release in April 2000 came just as the initial Pokémon craze was beginning to cool, but the game found a committed audience of TCG players who valued the digital format's elimination of physical card costs. A Japan-exclusive sequel, Pokémon Card GB2: Here Comes Team GR!, followed in 2001.
Tricks & Tales
Hudson Soft is not credited on the game's packaging or cartridge — the development credit appears only in the ending credits, an unusual omission for a major Game Boy release. The eccentric NPC Imakuni? is based on real Japanese musician Tomoaki Imakuni, who contributed to the Pokémon anime soundtrack and is known for performing in a full-body black mouse costume. Two cards from the physical TCG — Electrode (Base Set) and Ditto (Fossil) — are absent from the GBC version despite being part of the sets it draws from. The sequel, Pokémon Card GB2, was never released outside Japan and features the villainous Team GR attempting to steal all cards — making it a collector's item for import enthusiasts.
Collector's Guide
Region & Compatibility
Released in Japan (December 1998), North America (April 2000), and Europe (December 2000). The Japanese version is titled ポケモンカードGB. The sequel (Pokémon Card GB2: Here Comes Team GR!) was Japan-exclusive and was never localized.
Maintenance Tips
Pokémon Trading Card Game uses an internal save battery (CR2025) for game progress. If saves are being lost, battery replacement is required — a standard soldering procedure for GBC cartridges. The game is compatible with both Game Boy Color and original Game Boy hardware (in grayscale mode). Clean cartridge pins with isopropyl alcohol if experiencing startup failures.
Available in our shop
Hand-cleaned and tested units shipped worldwide from Toyohashi, Japan. HP direct purchase exclusive: we include a printed shop owner's note card with every order.
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